The Macapagal-Arroyo government welcomes as beneficial to the Philippines US President George W. Bush’s plan to send his energy chief to look into the possibility of joint ventures to explore for oil and natural gas in the country, Deputy Presidential Spokesman Ricardo Saludo said today.

In a radio interview, Saludo said that the U.S. President sees the need for the Philippines to be self-sufficient in oil supplies.

“Gusto nilang makasiguro na tayo rin, bilang isang kaalyado nila, ay hindi labis na umaasa sa langis na galing sa ibang bansa (They want to ensure that the Philippines, being an important ally of the United States, will not rely heavily on other countries for its petroleum requirements),” he said. More